Caring for Patients: Lessons from My Conversation with Hillary Golden
Caring for patients requires empathy and trust building.
I recently had the privilege of hosting a LinkedIn Live session with Hillary Golden, a patient strategy consultant and advocate focusing on the glaucoma world.
While our discussion centered on the glaucoma patient experience, it became abundantly clear that the lessons we explored extend far beyond eye care. They offer a powerful framework for improving patient care across all types of healthcare settings.
Hillary shared her deeply personal story, which began with a routine eye exam in July 2020 with her optometrist and ultimately led to a diagnosis of severe glaucoma, with nearly 40% vision loss already present.
Hillary's experience of diagnosis to ongoing treatment highlighted so many lessons for healthcare providers that I wanted to share in this post.
Get Eye Exams
This blatantly obvious takeaway must be highlighted — the absolute critical need for regular, comprehensive eye exams, because many eye diseases may not show noticeable symptoms until they are advanced. Even for someone like Hillary who was getting regular exams, she emphasized their importance.
Paint a Positive Picture
We discussed the common approach of telling patients, "use these drops or you're going to go blind".
Hillary and I agreed this often doesn't work. Instead, we need to focus on the positive outcomes of treatment, connecting compliance to what truly motivates the patient in their life. I shared an example of an orthodontist who did this masterfully with my son's treatment, literally showing us the problem and explaining the positive potential outcomes, leading to immediate buy-in.
Hillary reinforced this, suggesting framing treatment around being able to "see the colors of the world," "see your daughter get married," or "see your son graduate from college". That's what motivates people – the richer experience and the desired outcome.
Explain Side Effects Clearly and Proactively
Glaucoma drops often have noticeable side effects like redness, irritation, burning, and itching. Hillary shared her personal experience of stopping her first drops because they made her eyes feel worse, assuming the doctor wouldn't prescribe something uncomfortable. The doctor hadn't prepared her for these expected side effects. This lack of upfront communication about anticipated symptoms, especially when the disease itself has no symptoms, creates a major barrier to compliance. Patients need to understand the balance – that the temporary irritation from drops is necessary to protect long-term vision.
This lesson applies to any medication: patients are much more likely to adhere if they understand why they feel a certain way and that the side effects are expected.
Compliance is Deeply Linked to Trust and Understanding
It's easy to blame non-compliance on patients, but often, as Hillary highlighted, the root cause is a lack of understanding and trust. If patients don't fully grasp their condition, the treatment's purpose, and what to expect, adherence suffers. Building trust is paramount. Hillary mentioned how doctors’ limited time due to overloaded schedules can impact the depth of communication and the patient's trust.
Little Things Build (or Erase) Trust
Trust isn't built in one big moment; it's the sum of many small interactions. Every touchpoint matters, from the moment a patient enters the office. Hillary emphasized the importance of staff acknowledging the patient by name, explaining procedures clearly and without condescension, and gaining agreement before proceeding. Setting expectations about what happens next – even simple things like "I'll walk you to the waiting room and someone will get you in a few minutes" – makes a significant difference in how a patient feels cared for.
From my HR perspective, I related this to training staff on a service process that includes greeting, being responsive to emotional state, explaining, asking questions, and setting expectations. An environment that consistently sends the message "safe, safe, safe" is crucial. If this message isn't sent, practices risk losing patients.
Hiring and Staff Management are Critical to Patient Experience
The quality of patient interactions often depends on the staff. Hillary and I agreed that hiring individuals with good emotional intelligence is vital, especially in high-trust healthcare settings. Emotional intelligence allows staff to recognize a patient's emotional state – worry, stress, vulnerability – and adapt their communication and approach. Hillary shared a distressing experience with a technician whose communication style felt patronizing.
This highlighted the need for ongoing staff training and feedback. Even with staffing challenges, practices must prioritize developing the emotional intelligence and communication skills of their teams, often through constructive feedback. As I noted, feedback isn't always easy to give, but it's necessary to improve.
Empower Patients and Be Open to Feedback/Second Opinions
Patients often feel like passive recipients of care. Hillary's experience with an unskilled technician prompted her to speak up and advocate for herself, which she sees as a learning moment for her and a potential gift of feedback for the practice.
Healthcare providers should encourage patients to ask questions and voice concerns. Hillary learned to prioritize getting her questions answered before proceeding with tests, realizing her need for understanding was sometimes greater than the immediate clinical step.
Furthermore, doctors being open to patients seeking second opinions, even encouraging it, builds immense trust and demonstrates genuine care for the patient's well-being. While multiple opinions can be overwhelming, an open dialogue with a trusted doctor can help navigate this.
The Patient Story is Invaluable
Hillary highlighted how the patient perspective was often missing in the industry. She sees herself bridging the gap between patients, doctors, and companies. She is passionate about incorporating patient stories into medical training, conferences, and strategy.
I agree – understanding the patient experience is key to motivating healthcare professionals and driving innovation. The value, the motivation, the change comes from the story. Bringing patient speakers to conferences, even when doctors see patients daily, provides a fuller story and deeper understanding.
Summing it Up
These lessons, which emerged from my conversation with Hillary about the glaucoma patient experience, offer a powerful roadmap for healthcare providers across all specialties. By focusing on empathetic communication, building trust through consistently positive interactions, investing in staff with strong emotional intelligence, empowering patients to be active participants in their care, and valuing the patient's perspective, healthcare systems can move beyond simply treating diseases to truly caring for people. As Hillary eloquently put it, what patients want is to feel "seen and heard". Achieving that should be the goal for every healthcare interaction.
And yes, as a practical takeaway that hit me personally, schedule that eye exam – you just never know what it might reveal.
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